Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A Mannequin By Any Other Name . . .

Posted by Kath Rutledge From the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries by Molly MacRaeHi, Kath Rutledge, here with a . . . I don’t really want to say it’s a problem. Geneva says it’s a problem, though, and if you know Geneva, then you might see my problem. Here’s how she put it this morning when she was sitting on the shoulder of the mannequin that stands near the sales counter at the Weaver’s Cat. (Quick aside – do you know that Geneva haunts my fiber and fabric shop? Literally haunts. She’s a ghost. I’d tell you more about her, but then this wouldn’t be a quick aside.)“Why have you never named my friend, here?” Geneva asked. She reached down and patted the mannequin’s cheek. “While it’s true she does not say much, she does support me in my times of need.”

There were customers in the shop. They couldn’t see or hear Geneva, so to answer her question I turned my hands palm up and raised my shoulders a bit.“Have you developed an unattractive twitch?” Geneva asked. “Or was that meant to be a shrug? That’s all right. I know what we can do. We’ll have a name the mannequin contest and I’ll pick the winner!”A mannequin without a name doesn’t seem like a problem to me, but it’s bothering Geneva. And when Geneva is bothered, well . . . So we’re having a contest! Leave your suggestions in a comment below by noon Sunday the 27th. That gives you plenty of time to come up with something wonderful, and Geneva plenty of time to read all the names over my shoulder. She’ll pick her favorite and I’ll send the winner a copy of our new book, Crewel and Unusual. And the mannequin’s new name will appear in our next book (due to be published in late 2020 or early 2021), along with credit to the winner in the acknowledgements. Good luck!

What fun! I suggest Esther Rose. This is my 7 year old granddaughter’s name. She’s named after her great grandmother, Esther. Esther...the great grandmother...had 10 children! She would have loved the opportunity to sit quietly in the yarn shop, model handmade fashions and people watch. But then...who wouldn’t?

Thank you to everyone who entered the Name the Mannequin contest. There were so many wonderful entries - thoughtful, nostalgic, pretty, funny, and punny. Geneva had a hard time making a choice, but finally decided on P.j. Coldren's entry: "Anita - as in Anita place to put this dress." Geneva's comment: "I love it! Tell P.j. I'd be tickled to death if I weren't already dead." Congratulations, P.j.!

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